Product Description:
Today, more and more homes are being built on unstable soils, such as the ones that you learned about in previous chapters. Between expansive and hydro-compactable soils and subsidence, foundations are pushed and pulled, creating movement. Each year, thousands of homeowners are faced with evaluating and repairing foundation problems. Thankfully, this means that there are reliable, engineered solutions available. So what exactly is available and is it the right solution for your structural problems? Since the root of structural problems is the soil, the first two solutions deal with taking the foundation’s weight off of unstable soils and placing it on bedrock or other stable soil—these solutions are called push piers and helical piers.
Push Piers WILL:
? Allow the deepest penetration of any steel pier type. ? Allow for the possibility of low impact interior installations (typically, with far less collateral damage than the exterior approach)
? Provide a lifetime warranty, transferable for the first 25 years, that vertical movement in the piered areas will not occur
? Perform it’s job in most soil conditions for a designed life in excess of 100 years
Push Piers MAY:
? Allow for the likelihood of lifting a structure to a flatter, more level condition
? Allow for the possibility of closing or shrinking existing cracks in brick, stucco, sheetrock, or other interior or exterior finishes
? Allow for the re-alignment of sticking doors or windows, and the straightening of leaning chimneys
Push Piers WILL NOT:
? Guaranty that perfectly flat or level final conditions will be achieved
? Provide lateral (horizontal) restraint to a bowing foundation wall
? Improve the water tightness or lower the moisture level in a basement
How Piers are Installed in 6 Basic Steps:
Step 1: Outside, sod and landscaping around the home is removed and set aside.
Step 2: Soil is removed until the footing of the concrete foundation is revealed.
Step 3: Foundation pier anchoring brackets of heavy, industrial-strength steel are attached to the home’s footings.
Step 4: Rugged steel piers are hydraulically driven down to solid bedrock or equal-load bearing strata.
Step 5: The weight of the home, anchored to the steel brackets, is carefully transferred from unstable soil to rock-solid piers.
Step 6: After an engineer’s approval, the soil around the home is replaced and landscaping can be returned to its original location.